| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mobile communications |
| Founded | 2006 in Kent, UK |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Area served | United Kingdom, United States, Australia |
| Products | Mobile telecommunications products and services, Mobile and desktop software |
| Subsidiaries | Truphone Ltd (in UK), Software Cellular Network Ltd (North America) (in USA), Startel Communications Co Pty Ltd (in Australia), SCN Truphone, S.L. (in Spain), Truphone (Hong Kong) Limited (in Hong Kong), Tru Pte Ltd (in Singapore) |
| Website | www.truphone.com |
Tru is a mobile network that operates internationally. It has headquarters in London, and offices in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal.[1]
The company's main product is its GSM service, Tru, a SIM based mobile service which offers customers standard local rates rather than roaming rates in countries where the company has partnerships with local operators.
The current list of countries where Tru customers pay only local rates for calls, texts and data are:
The service is not limited to the countries where Truphone has established local networks however, and the service works in and provides discounted roaming in over 220 countries.[2]
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Truphone (a trading name of Truphone Ltd, formerly Software Cellular Network Ltd) was founded in 2006 by James Tagg, Alexander Straub and Alistair Campbell.[3]
The company re-launched as Tru in December 2010.
The company's core business focus is Tru (launched as Truphone Local Anywhere in January 2010[4]), a GSM SIM-based mobile service which charges customers standard local rates rather than roaming rates in countries where the company has partnerships with local operators.
Tru was originally formed as a company which developed downloadable mobile VoIP applications for smartphones, using the integrated Wi-Fi connection on the device.[5] These offered two benefits: 1. Ability to make free or low cost calls on the mobile device in areas where there is weak or no GSM coverage; and 2. Ability to send Instant Messages to other networks.
The first application released was for Nokia devices. This was followed by applications for Apple iPhone,[6] BlackBerry smartphones,[7] Apple iPod Touch,[8] and Android devices and a softphone application for desktop was launched in late 2010.[9]
Tru's SIM based products are entirely separate to the Apps.
Truphone has received investment from Straub Ventures, Eden Ventures, Wellington Partners Venture Capital, Independent News and Media, and Burda Digital Ventures.[10]
| 2006 |
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| 2007 |
High Court decision against T-Mobile
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| 2008 |
SIM4travel acquisition
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| 2009 | |
| 2010 |
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| 2011 |
The Tru SIM is a standard GSM service with patented technology[34] which allows customers to have multiple country numbers and local rates for any or all of the countries where Tru has MVNO partnerships with local operators.
Tru is able to offer local rates for calls, texts and data through MVNO partnerships with local mobile operators.[35] Currently those countries are the United Kingdom, United States and Australia[36] but the company has announced MVNO wholesale partnerships in Hong Kong, Spain and the Netherlands.
Each pre-pay SIM comes with 1 phone number, additional numbers can be purchased for an extra monthly fee (currently $8/month). Business plans include 2 phone numbers as standard.[37]
In addition to the roaming service, Tru offers mobile call and SMS recording service to financial institutions in the UK to comply with the mobile recording legislation from the Financial Services Authority[38]. The Tru mobile recording service is offered in partnership with Obsidian Wireless.
Multi IMSI
The Tru SIM allows more than one mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) to be added onto the SIM,[39] so a user can have a number for every country Tru has a local partnership with.
Smart CLI
The Smart Caller Line Identification (Smart CLI) technology means that the most appropriate number is displayed on the phone of the person the Tru SIM user is calling.[40]
Mobile recording
Tru’s voice and SMS recording is integrated within the network infrastructure[41]. Recorded conversations can be stored in the cloud or on site using integrated hardware and software solution from Obsidian Wireless.
Tru currently offers two price plans:
Tru has MVNO agreements with operators in the UK, USA, Australia, Spain and the Netherlands[42] which form a network of Tru countries where users can benefit from access to local network. Currently, the UK, USA and Australia are the countries in which local rates and numbers are available for all Tru SIM users.[43]
Tru's VoIP application (known as Tru App[44]), a separate product to the Tru SIM, allows users to make calls over the internet to landline and mobile phone contacts, and free calls to other Tru App users.[45] Customers are also able to instant message contacts on other networks, such as Skype or Windows Live[46] on selected devices.
The application is available as a free download and works on the following devices:
Text messages can be sent from Tru app versions for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Nokia; as well as Apple Mac OS, Windows and Linux.
Tru App supports a range of calling methods: calls over wired or wireless internet on Windows, Mac and Linux. It supports calls over Wi-Fi, 3G and call-through, depending on the platform. Call-through is called Tru Anywhere, which uses the local minutes of the user to connect the call to a local Tru server.[49] The BlackBerry application from Tru uses this method of calling only.[50]
Tru applications use the Session Initiation Protocol open standard,[51] which competes with other VoIP standards such as UMA and proprietary protocols such as the Skype protocol.
It has been suggested[52] that internet-based communications could be used without fear of interception. Truphone maintains, however, that it is governed by and complies with the same 'lawful intercept' laws as every other telecommunications company.
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